Blackphone Enters the Smartphone Crypto-Wars

Madrid-based Geeksphone, which bills itself as an open source mobile telephony developer, and Washington-based Silent Circle said Wednesday they’ve teamed up to build an Android-powered smartphone–the “Blackphone”–aimed specifically at providing users with privacy protection. The venture plans to unveil the phone at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

It’s the latest device aimed at privacy and security-conscious consumers in Europe in the post-Edward Snowden era.

The phone will run off an open-source, security-oriented Android-powered operating system, called PrivateOS.

A Geeksphone spokesman declined to answer follow-up questions about the phone, saying more information will be provided next month. The company said the Blackphone will be available for pre-orders from February 24, but it has no delivery date yet.